13 September 1970

Mister Stormy provides us with another glimpse into the making of King Crimson’s Lizard. Working on Dawn Song, we can hear Fripp on electric piano, talking to Robin Miller who provides the Cor Anglais here. Miller recalled that Fripp was always interested in the length and purity of the notes he produced. With such close micing we can hear Miller take his breaths which adds to the sense of being in the room with them. Miller, who can also be heard talking with Fripp about the ending, sustains the final note for 16 seconds. The clock-winding Fripp can be heard referring to is of course is the Wessex Studios metronome. Like all the other scaffolding put up as the tracks were being built, it was removed when the finished piece was ready to be unveiled. By the way trivia fans, that’s the same metronome that can be heard during the break in The Devil’s Triangle from In The Wake Of Poseidon.

King Crimson

13 September 1970

Mister Stormy provides us with another glimpse into the making of King Crimson’s Lizard. Working on Dawn Song, we can hear Fripp on electric piano, talking to Robin Miller who provides the Cor Anglais here. Miller recalled that Fripp was always interested in the length and purity of the notes he produced. With such close micing we can hear Miller t...

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Written by Vincent Hostaak

Dawn Song: Lizard Trapped in Amber

This is a charming fragment of what would become the opening of the third segment of the Lizard suite "The Battle of the Glass Tears." The Cor Anglais phrase has always for me recalled the voice of the high register bassoon that calls Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" to order. Maybe this is because they both seem to emerge from the darkness in the final recorded performances. Then again, maybe I'm projecting this, as I've heard my daughter practice countless times, the Stravinsky phrase for a chamber performance (oddly, often at dawn). Simple phrases can be tougher than you think on a double reed! Either way, Dawn Song is a brilliantly voiced open gracefully punctuated with the electric piano. This trapped in amber rehearsal is a wonderful way to experience the formation of the suite. Sinfield's poetry is also sincerely delivered by Gordon Haskell. The studio chatter betrays the musicians' and producer's notion of where this will all go in final performance, edit, and mix. I believe that's Mr. Fripp stating that "I'll just wind the clock up" and also counting in with piano notes. I'd love to hear the whole suite this way, reconstructed from rehearsal, including the riot of horns and reeds that follow. Perhaps the always industrious Mr. Stormy will release sufficient archival fragments over a month or two of Monday's to make this possible? Not that he doesn't already have enough on his plate, I imagine. March forward!